April 21, 2012
From: Ector County
        Independent School DistrictE-news logo
In This Issue
Cans for Kids
ECISD Flower Sale
Education Foundation concert
OHS girls historic season
OHS Raku art
Teacher laptop initiative
Cavazos students celebrate one of their own
They're good eggs!
NTO students highlight new district initiatives
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Cans for Kids

Monday, April 2, marked the beginning of ECISD's annual Cans for Kids drive organized by the Food Services Department. Schools compete to see who can bring in the most food items for the West Texas Food Bank and some will win great prizes. Read more.

ECISD Flower Sale

 

Flower Sale

 

One day remains in this annual event that helps fund the ECISD Horticulture program!

Education Foundation concert

Kenny Loggins

Tickets are available at Endless Horizons in Odessa, Super Mercado in Midland, or online at www.centralticketoffice.com. For more information, contact the Education Foundation at (432) 456-7059 or at [email protected].

OHS girls historic season

The Odessa High School girls soccer team is making history with each day! The Lady Bronchos qualified for the playoffs for the first time in the program's history with a dramatic 1-0 win over rival Permian High School on March 26. Not wanting the fun to end just yet, OHS then upset North Crowley (the top-seed from District 4-5A) in the bi-district round of the playoffs Tuesday night in Abilene. The final score was 2-1 in overtime.

 

OHS Soccer

The Lady Bronchos celebrate the first of Alexa Branum's two goals. Photo courtesy of the Odessa American

 

OHS Raku art

The Odessa High School art department fired up the Raku kiln on March 22 and art students from OHS and Ector Junior High went about creating some spectacular pieces. This is a description of the project from OHS art teacher Becky Haynie:

 

"Raku pottery is created with a specific ceramic firing process that uses both fire and smoke to create unique patterns and designs. The pottery remains in the kiln for approximately 30 minutes until it reaches about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and is then removed using specially designed Raku tongs. While the piece is still hot and glowing, it is placed inside a metal can full of combustible materials. After the materials inside the can catch on fire, a lid is placed over the can and the piece is left for about 20 minutes. The Raku pottery is capable of withstanding these high temperatures because it is made from a special type of clay that is capable of withstanding thermal shock. Traditional pottery clays would crack from the drastic temperature changes Raku pottery undergoes.

 

OHS art

 

The Art II Ceramics, Sculpture and Jewelry classes at OHS, and Adam Cross' 9th grade pre-AP Art I class at Ector, participated in the Raku firing. This is the fifth year that the OHS classes have fired the kiln at least once during the school year.

The overall response from the students is very positive - it is a fun, quick, very hands-on activity, and the colors on the fired pieces are very different, unique, and beautiful."

Teacher laptop initiative

LaptopECISD is beginning an initiative to put more technology in the hands of its teachers as a means of increasing flexibility, creativity, and convenience. The laptop initiative is voluntary and will begin on Title I campuses - that's all elementary schools except Reagan - because Title I funds are being used to begin this project. Plans are being formed now to provide this opportunity to all classroom teachers in the near future.

 

Interested teachers will be required to register and attend 11 two-hour Technology Foundation courses to be eligible and they must complete the entire training component before receiving the laptop.

 

ECISD is committed to putting technology into its classrooms in order to build our students into 21st Century leaders who are prepared to compete for jobs in a world-wide marketplace.

Cavazos students celebrate one of their own
Cavazos
 
Cavazos students and staff members wanted to remember the life of one of their own; they ultimately left a legacy for future generations to enjoy when they planted a tree in memory of Anthony Valdez Torres.

           

Tony, as he was known, was a fourth-grader at Cavazos and was killed in January when he was hit by a truck while riding his bike near his home. His classmates and teachers talked about doing something to remember him and they decided that planting a tree would be the right gesture. Lowe's Home Improvement donated at Shumard Oak tree, ECISD maintenance guys dug the hole and ran a sprinkler line to it, and on March 23 the students helped put the tree in the ground in front of the school.

            

It was a particularly poignant moment for assistant principal Sandy Arneson, who remembers that day in January well. "Before he got on the bus that afternoon he gave me a hug and said, 'bye Ms. Arneson,'" she said. "Planting this tree in his memory was a great idea."

They're good eggs!
San Jacinto 
When the second grade teachers at San Jacinto Elementary challenged their students to improve their scores on the District benchmark tests the students were up to the challenge. Their reward? Breaking confetti eggs over their teachers' heads!
NTO students highlight new district initiatives
NTO 

There has been a lot of discussion of ECISD's new initiatives and a lot of discussion of ECISD's new high school, New Tech Odessa. The two became one recently when a group of NTO students produced a video to help explain CSCOPE, Eduphoria, and PLCs to our community. Check out the video here on the ECISD home page.

Phone: 432-456-0000
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3912, Odessa, Texas 79760
Physical Address: 802 N. Sam Houston, Odessa, Texas 79761

 

Ector County ISD does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, race, nationality, religion, disability, socioeconomic standing or non-proficiency in English language skills in providing educational services for students' benefits.

 

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